How to ceili dance

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Irish dances in their diversity, in addition to solo performance, also exist in the form of group or team dances - Ceili dances.

The translation of the Celtic word ceilidh - holiday, party - gives us an idea of ​​where the dances of the same name were performed. The concept of "caylee" has retained its original meaning in the modern Irish language, but is still more often used in a narrower way - to refer to a certain type of dance. nine0006

In Ireland and in Scotland, close in spirit and culture of dance, these are social dances, that is, communication dances for a certain number of dancers: couples, sets (groups of 4 to 16 people) or constructions of a large number of people ( "circles", "ranks", "streets", etc.). Often, even in pair dances, there is a change of partners so that each participant can dance with everyone without promising a dance to anyone separately. Kaylee dancing has always been a welcome entertainment at village and pub festivals. Village events were often the only way for a guy to meet a girl, as well as an opportunity to evaluate future brides and grooms in an informal setting. nine0006

Now, Irish kaylee most often means 30 dances described in the book "Ar Rinncide Foirne", as well as small figure dances, similar in style, performed in Irish dance competitions in small groups, namely, twos and threes - among the two and three people. This is due to the activity in Ireland of the Gaelic League. In an effort to revive true Irish dance art, the League nevertheless deformed it significantly, introducing standards where it declared only thirty described dances to be truly Irish and forbade dancing the rest as "not Irish enough". Thus, a whole layer of folk set dances fell out of the concept of Irish keili, which are now not only studied separately, but also are not the subject of competitions of almost all Irish dance commissions known today. nine0006

“In the early twentieth century, caylees were very popular in most parts of Ireland. People traveled considerable distances to take part in the dances. In the largest cities, dance halls were filled with thousands of people who wanted to dance. The example of Dublin can give an idea of ​​the situation on a national scale. In Dublin, ceilis were held every Sunday in the Round Hall of the Mansion House. Every week the hall was filled to capacity and often the sign "full house" (filled) was hung out long before the official start time of the event. /…/ The Keighleys have supported Irish dancing as a vital part of culture both in Ireland and beyond for over a hundred years. In addition to the thirty dances described in the three books of the collection, there are a great many other popular keili dances. nine0025 Caylee can be danced by children, youth and adults, and for some dancers there is no greater pleasure than dancing the 8-hand Jig or The High Cauled Cap in the company of good dancers."
Frank Whelan "The Complete Guide to Irish Dance"

Modern Irish keley dancing requires a significant amount of skill. Despite the fact that all dances are built on the basis of a small number of basic steps (side step, threeses, promenade step, rising step and rise and grind, etc.), which are studied by all dancers at the very first lessons, the general choreographic design, consisting from the Body (the main main component of the dance) and many figures, will not allow you to immediately join the circle of dancers. But first things first. nine0006

Irish kaylees are group figure or line dances performed both in Irish dancing competitions and for fun at dance parties. Performed only in soft shoes. The number of people who can take part in a particular dance is strictly regulated (see table below). In dances where a specific number is not specified, it is usually determined by what the number of participants will be a multiple (2nd, 3rd or 4th).

Keili dances use several initial formations of dancers:
• circle - dancers join hands in pairs, forming a circle;
• line - the dancers line up in two lines, the girls are opposite the young people;
• set - from two to eight pairs at the same distance from each other form a triangle, square or polygon;
• street or column - for a set of two couples, back to back, the next set is built, the next one for them, and so on, depending on the number of people who want to dance and the free space. The street can also be built from threes of dancers (two partners with one partner) and fours (two couples side by side). The dance is characterized by complex rearrangements within its set. nine0006

In line and street dances, after the end of the main plot, partners find themselves in other places and start dancing again with other counter-partners, so such dances can be massive and they are also called linear (progressive), which can continue indefinitely (long dance, progressive dance).
There are keleys, in which rebuilding is going on all the time in a circle, both in pairs and in the general mass. This is "round dancing" - round dance.
Dances in a set usually have a complex structure with an intro, an end, a body ("Body" - a part of the dance that can be repeated several times), and figures that are danced between the "body" and may not be repeated or repeated relative to other pairs of dancers. Therefore, such Irish dances are called curly keili. The same structure is characteristic of many folk dances, including another type of Irish dance art - set Irish dances, related to French and Russian quadrilles. nine0006

Kelly dance music, although similar to that used for solo dancing, still has its own characteristics. First of all - the speed of execution; it will depend on what basic element the dance is based on: if the movements go through the "promenade" (the main basic element of many keili dances), the music may be slower; if it is a "jump" (a characteristic jump for ceili dances with the leg bent in front as a replacement for the promenade step) - the music is played faster. nine0006

Some keley dances have their own unique melodies , which are usually named after the dances themselves - The Sweets of May, The High-Cauled Cap, Humors of Bandon, The Rakes of Mallow, St. Patrick's Day, Hastle to the Wedding, Trip to the Cottage, Lannigan's Ball .
Several caylees can be played to recommended tunes: The Gates of Derry dance to the single Quakers Wife jig, and Siege of Carrick can use the Haste to the Wedding jig. nine0025 Standing apart is the keley dance Three Tunes , which is danced to a composition consisting of three traditional Irish melodies - Haste to the Wedding jig, Leslie's Hornpipe and The German Beau reel.
All other keili dances are performed to any melody suitable for the speed and nature of the dance. That is, in terms of the variety of music (primarily in time signature), Kelly dances are in no way inferior to solo dances: there are reels, and jigs, and double jigs, as well as a hornpipe. nine0006

How do you usually start learning Keili dancing? There is no clear answer here. Some teachers prefer to start with figure dances for 2 and 3 people. They work out the basic technique and principles of movement. 2-hand Reel and 3-hand Reel were not included in the list of 30 dance compositions, so the teachers have a little freedom in composing the choreography. But here it is necessary to emphasize the word "small", since all Irish dance commissions regulate the performance of these dances: the number of bars, allowed elements or hand movements. nine0026 .

Next, mass dances are usually studied, where couples interact, and the number of such couples in some cases is unlimited. These are: The Bridge of Athlone, Haste to the Wedding, Rince Fada, An Rince Mor, Antrim Reel, Bonfire Dance .

Only after reaching a certain skill and having developed a sufficient quantity and quality of dance technique, they begin to study complex set compositions for 8, 10, 12 and 16 people: The Sweets of May, The Gates of Derry, The Cross Reel, 8-Hand Reel, 8-Hand Jig, Morris Reel, The Three Tunes, St.Patrick's Day, High-Cauled Cap, Trip to the Cottage, Sixteen-Hand Reel, Lannigan's Ball, Haymakers Jig, The Waves of Thory

	Name	Kol. Dancers	Kol. in elements "Body"	Kol. Figures	Comments
Hand Reel						4	5	2	is mainly a square
2	Walls of Limerick	4-8 and more0008
6	The Fairy Reel	6-12 and more than		Mass linear dance
9000	9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000	5	-	Performed to the original tune. Mass line dance
8	Bonfire Dance	from 6 and more	10	-	Performed in a circle			W.I.D.A.
16	16-Hand Reel	16	6	3
Jigs
17	Humours of Bandon	4	4	3	Played to original tune
18	Siege of Carrick	4-8 and more than	4	-	Mass linear dance, can be performed under the melody HASTE to the Wedding
19000 HARVEST-Time Jig 9000-12 6-12 6-12 7	-	Mass line dance
20	RINCE FADA	Any number of pairs	6	-	Mass linear dun0007

In the photo: dancers of the Killarney Irish Dance School

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